Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

Indian restaurant touts expanded menu

The Grand Strand's only Indian cuisine restaurant has expanded its menu.

Among the fresh entree highlights are dishes featuring chicken, seafood, lamb and vegetables.

Harialy chicken is actually green chicken. Don't freak out, though.

It turns a beautiful green color after being marinated in mint, cilantro and secret chef spices. It is then cooked in a clay oven.

Shrimp vindaloo is a dish with spicy, white potatoes and a tangy red sauce.

The lamb curry, goat curry and lamb saag (lamb in spinach and herbs) are also among the new menu items highlighting Southern and Northern Indian cuisine.

Vegetarians should be delighted to know chana saag and shai paneer have been added to an already extensive array of meatless dishes.

The chana saag is a combination of chickpeas and fresh spinach comingled with onion and spices.

The shai paneer is homemade cottage cheese cooked in a medley of butter, almond paste, tomatoes sauce and mild spices.

Prices for the new items are from $9.95 (for the vegetarian entrees) to $13.95 for shrimp entrees.

The most precious arrival at the Myrtle Beach restaurant, however, is Rifah Nabilah Akter.

She is the 2-month-old daughter of the owners, Shaik Raza and his wife, Shahanav Akter.

Rifah Nabilah, which essentially means "good blessings'' in Arabic, came six weeks early, but she arrived healthy and in 20 minutes flat.

Her mother told me she felt no pain and didn't receive any painkillers.

She is a beautiful baby with a thick head of silky black hair - and an unusual characteristic.

"At 10 days old, I noticed she had a tooth,'' Shahanav Akter said.

"In my country [Bangladesh], it is a sign that the baby will be brilliant. I hope that it is true.''

For those of you who may be doubters, I saw the tooth myself. It's at the bottom.

Bombay also has new store hours. It will be closed every Monday until December.

Lunch buffet hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is the best deal at $9.95 plus tax.

Bombay at the Beach is at 702 N. Kings Highway.

Call 444-9090 for information.

Homemade ice cream goes country

Flo Dillon wanted a lottery ticket and ice cream on her birthday. She got both.

Last week, when she turned 71, she hopped in her car to buy her lottery ticket and stopped by Webster's Ice Cream Factory & Grill, the new ice cream shop at 6542 Enterprise Road in Socastee.

She bought herself a sugar cone with a heaping scoop of butter pecan ice cream.

"It's delicious,'' Dillon said. "You can't beat coming here.''

The ice cream shop, which also has a menu of fast food fare, is owned by John and Mary Webster.

They also own two similar businesses in Myrtle Beach, including Fun Plaza on Ocean Boulevard.

They decided to take their homemade ice cream to the countryside because there was no business of the sort in the area.

Many of their customers are residents of nearby subdivisions, including Island Green.

Sharon Barker started working at the ice cream shop after she and her husband, Butch, became repeat customers, Mary Webster said.

Caroline Perry is also regular and a friend.

The shop has giant corn stalks at the entrance, which leads to a deck outfitted with picnic tables.

Once inside, you see a few tables and farm murals on the walls that were created by Gina Townsend.

Children visiting the ice cream shop are given erasable markers and allowed to draw their names and pictures over the cow mural, which is later wiped clean. The cow is unofficially named Caroline, in honor of Perry.

When I visited, every customer bypassed the burgers, wings, flounder sandwich and other menu items for cones of ice cream.

There are 16 flavors, including black raspberry, tiramisu, maple nut and rum raisin.

"The ice cream is better and cheaper in the country,'' said John Webster, adding that they use 14 percent butter fat in their ice cream.

A kid's scoop is $1.50, a single scoop is $2 and a double scoop is $3.

Other sweet treats include funnel cake sundaes, banana splits, floats and homemade shakes made from the ice cream flavors of your choice.

Food prices for combo items start at $5.50 (for the hamburger combo), whichincludes fries and a soda.

Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Call 650-2277.

Eatery address

I omitted the address last week for Fresh Catch Seafood House & Market.

It is located at 7036 S.C. 90 in the Poplar community.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Call 390-1001.